Celestial Motherhood: A Gender Study of the Archaeoastronomy of Female Constellations in the ancient Greek world

天体母性：古希腊世界女性星座考古天文学的性别研究

• 批准号: 2736902
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Leicester
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Studentship
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=studentship-2736902
• 关键词: Celestial; Motherhood; Gender; Study; Archaeoastronomy

This project, beginning in January 2022, explores the perception of gender and motherhood in the ancient Greek world through the lens of constellations and stars commemorating mythological persons and events, using the methods of phenomenology and archaeoastronomy to address evidence from written sources, archaeology, and art. In antiquity, it was known that the deities placed the stars as memorials. Constellations served as reminders of idealized heroism, courage, and devotion. Because idealized identities were divinely recorded in the grandest memorials, they helped shape identities on Earth, including those of gender. My starting observation is that the asterism literature of primary sources record dozens of constellations but only seven are definitively female. Each female is a mother, five are in a mother-child pairing, and all are in some degree of distress. The pattern suggests significance in the social construction of 'motherhood'. Research Question: How did Greek asterism mythology reflect and inform the social construction of gender, particularly motherhood?Supplementary questions: (1) What were the social meanings of female asterisms as experienced in the night sky, and how do they compare with representations in other media? (2) What links existed between the stars, the timing of so-called 'fertility festivals', and female mobility? (3) Did the authority implicit in constellations compel/constrain gendered behaviours or provide alternative models? (4) What was the social purpose of memorializing female/maternal suffering?This research is situated in three separate contexts: Classics, Archaeoastronomy, and Gender Studies. The cultural context is bounded by the Greek-speaking Mediterranean region during the Archaic through Hellenistic periods (c. 700 to 30 BCE). The Archaeoastronomy component will follow theoretically grounded and culturally contextualized methodologies established by Aveni (2008), Ruggles (2007), and Boutsikas (2010, 2021). Recent advances in gender studies (Foxhall 2013) have expanded our understanding of gender construction in antiquity. However, the relationship between cultural astronomy and gender is uncharted territory. My research fills in blank places on the map by focusing on 'celestial mothers': women considered worthy of celestial memorialization. I will adopt an interdisciplinary approach to the Classical evidence, incorporating mythology, phenomenology, and gender studies. The method will rely partially upon scientific archaeoastronomical research, and conclusions will be rooted within the cultural context, confirmed through ancient cosmology, mythology, iconography, and literature. Gender will be approached predominantly through intersectional theory.Our understanding of archaeoastronomy and gender in antiquity is still incomplete, but this research will add to those disciplines by bringing them together. The means and methods of identifying relationships between the night sky and gender will be applicable to studies of historical or contemporary anthropology, ethnography, and gender ideologies. In particular, the memorialization of gender norms and its interaction with gender expression will have broad application beyond classical archaeology.

该项目从2022年1月开始，通过使用现象学和考古学的方法来解决书面资料，小库和艺术的证据，探讨了古希腊世界中对性别和母性的看法。在古代，众所周知，神灵将恒星作为纪念馆。星座是理想化的英雄主义，勇气和奉献精神的提醒。由于理想化的身份是在最宏伟的纪念馆中刻薄地记录下来的，因此他们帮助塑造了包括性别在内的身份。我的开始观察是，主要来源的星座文献记录了数十个星座，但只有七个是女性。每个雌性都是母亲，五个是母​​子配对，所有这些都在某种程度上感到困扰。该模式表明对“母性”的社会建构有重要意义。研究问题：希腊星空神话如何反映和告知性别的社会建构，尤其是母性？补充问题：（1）夜空中女性星号的社会含义是什么，它们与其他媒体的表现如何相比？ （2）星星之间存在哪些联系，所谓的“生育节”的时机和女性流动性？ （3）在星座中隐含的权威是否会强制/约束性别行为或提供替代模型？ （4）纪念女性/母亲苦难的社会目的是什么？这项研究位于三个不同的情况下：经典，考古学和性别研究。在古希腊时期（公元前700年至30年），在古老的古老的地中海地区，文化背景是由讲希腊语的地中海地区界定的。考古学组成部分将遵循Aveni（2008），Ruggles（2007）和Boutsikas（2010，2021）建立的理论基础和文化上下文化的方法。性别研究的最新进展（Foxhall 2013）扩大了我们对古代性别建设的理解。但是，文化天文学与性别之间的关系是未知的领域。我的研究通过关注“天体母亲”：被认为值得天体纪念的妇女来填补地图上的空白地方。我将采用跨学科的方法，纳入神话，现象学和性别研究。该方法将部分依靠科学的考古研究，结论将植根于文化背景，通过古代宇宙学，神话，肖像学和文学证实。性别将主要通过相交理论来接近性别。我们对古代的考古学和性别的理解仍然不完整，但是这项研究将通过将它们汇集在一起​​来增加这些学科。识别夜空与性别之间关系的手段和方法将适用于历史或当代人类学，人种学和性别意识形态的研究。特别是，对性别规范的纪念及其与性别表达的相互作用将在古典考古学之外具有广泛的应用。